lost in Va.

Day

Virginia? Out of all of the schools out there how in the world does Virginia get a pass of playing in a neutral site game. Not sure about this one, may be they will be better in 4 years or you can just count this one as a slaughter.

Joe

There is a bit of history between Georgia and Virginia, but I agree, it’s an odd game to throw Virginia in.

Once again, though, Georgia and the SEC continue to win at scheduling these Power 5 out of conference games early in the year when the Big Ten is opening with teams from the MAC or whatever… Of course, the Big Ten is also losing those games.

PeteF3

Ohio State over Oklahoma, Michigan over Colorado (don’t act like that’s any worse than Virginia), Nebraska over Oregon, Michigan State over Notre Dame, Wisconsin over LSU…I mean, seriously? Not every B1G OOC game was a winner, to say the least, but at least attempt some intellectual honesty here. I’ll take that resume against any other conference’s.

Joe

You’d take a resume that includes losses to Western Michigan, North Dakota State and Illinois State?

Look part of being a major conference is winning those games, top to bottom. The Big Ten is losing those games at a rate only exceeded by the Big 12. The SEC doesn’t lose those games. In fact, the SEC is the only major conference that hasn’t lost to an FCS team this year. The Big Ten has lost twice. And we’re not talking the bottom of the Big Ten here, we’re talking Iowa, a team that was in the Big Ten Championship last year. Northwestern was a bowl team last year. The top and middle of the Big Ten can’t win the games they are supposed to win, so you can’t really take them seriously as a major conference.

Josh

Shep

And let’s act like NDSU isn’t actually a great time on a 6 game FBS win streak. There are many great FCS teams, but did you notice how you had to add in “this year” to make it true? Otherwise we’d need to go all the way back to November to find an SEC-FCS loss.

Joe

But now you are changing the argument. SEC haters love to say that since the SEC doesn’t play nine conference games their scheduling is somehow lacking when compared to the Big Ten and Big 12 who do.

However, those of us who realize the SEC is clearly best have always understood that simply belonging to a Power 5 conference doesn’t make you a good football team and not belonging to a Power 5 conference doesn’t make you bad.

When Tennessee struggled against Appalachian State earlier this year, the comments were all about how Tennessee should never struggle with Appy State. Nobody cared that Appy was 11-2 last year and returned 17 starters. Appy wasn’t a Power 5 team so all that mattered was that Tennessee had a tough time beating them.

Now, when Western Michigan beats TWO Big Ten teams in three weeks or North Dakota State beats Iowa, the argument switches to how good those teams are.

You can’t have it both ways.

The perception is that Power 5 teams have many advantages over non Power 5 teams. And that’s true. But that doesn’t always make them better. Coaching, talent on the field, and other factors come into play. That is the reality. Knowledgeable fans understand the reality that Alabama plays a tougher conference schedule in eight games than Ohio State will play in nine.

Shep

You have some good points and other non-good points. It should be both ways, but Tennessee was very much overhyped to begin the season. App State being a good team or no, UT was overvalued (and on the flipside, Arkansas undervalued) but that’s why they play the games.

App State is a good team, Western is a good team, and NDSU is a good team but that has nothing to do with a 14 team league only playing an 8 game schedule which goes for not only the SEC but also the ACC. Or if you’re not going to have a 9-game league schedule, set-up a permanent ACC vs SEC challenge like in basketball and match up teams there every year, even leaving your traditional games such as Clemson-SC and FSU-UF and round robining all of the others.

Joe

The whole idea behind playing nine conference games, from the people who love that sort of thing, is that it is somehow more difficult. But, it’s not. You can’t say that playing ten Power 5 teams is necessarily more difficult than playing eight. It matters who the nine are and who the eight are. But, the people who push the nine conference game myth think that just because you play Indiana, Purdue, Maryland, and Rutgers that is more difficult than playing Mississippi, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia. It’s not.

Plus, add to it, every team in the SEC will send guys to the NFL in most every year. That’s just not the case in other leagues. There are weeks where you aren’t playing against any NFL caliber talent. You don’t get to take a week off in the SEC, or at best, it’s rare.

And besides, the playoff committee has already decided that quality of schedule matters, not the number of games you play against Power 5 teams.

Day

My point exactly, if teams like Oklahoma are losing to Houston & Iowa is losing to N. Dakota St & Tennessee is having to go down to the wire with App St, wheres the argument that you have to play 9 teams in your conference to make it tougher? There is none, I am not trying to disagree or claim how right I am, its just facts. Some of these smaller schools are not cupcakes, they are not guaranteed wins. They can beat you, at your house, take your money, then laugh at you while their getting back on their plane or bus & say thanks! In my opinion teams like App St, N.Dakota St, Richmond, Jvill St, Portland St, W.Michigan & a few others need more respect because this is not ending anytime soon & these upsets have been going on for years & will keep happening. Just because the BIG is no longer playing FCS does not mean they won’t get beat by a MAC school or USA, just ask the Big-12.

Brian

It sure is convenient to look at the B1G bottom feeders when comparing P5 oppenents and stack them up against middle of the road SEC teams. Playing Purdue, Rutgers (who recently swept a home and home with Arkansas), Maryland, and Indiana (who recently beat Mizzou the year they went to the SEC championship) should be compared to playing Vandy, South Carolina, Kentucky and Mizzou. I contend both of those sets of 4 teams are cake walks.

Sure the SEC’s 8/9 P5 teams they play are good, but for the most part aren’t as good as the most of the B1G’s 10 P5 teams. That extra game vs. a P5 team (no matter who that team is) sure beats all these gigantic cupcakes the SEC schedule (late in the year might I add) like Presbyterian, the Citadel, etc. Just look Bama’s schedule compared to OSU’s this year top to bottom and you’ll see the difference. The B1G East, ACC Coastal and PAC 12 North are all better than the SEC West this year, which hurts your argument even more.

The SEC needs to buck up and play 9 conference games + a P5 in out of conference. They also need to man up and play some true home and home series against quality opponents. These “neutral site games” in your backyards are a joke. Too chicken to play anyone worth while on their own turf. Until then, keep trying to hide behind your little SEC shield.

Joe

Well, on second thought, you’re right. The Big Ten is so far down that even the teams in the Big Ten Championship are oftentimes ‘bottom feeders.’

The schools in the SEC begin the season with the most difficult schedules in the country and they end the season with the most difficult schedules in the country. The Big Ten starts out with easy games so their conference can build up strength… but they end up losing games to Western Michigan and Illinois State, so they actually hurt themselves. It’s starting to look like the OCC is the tough part of every Big Ten team’s schedule and the cupcakes come in conference play. No wonder they want nine conference games. You don’t have tough games against beasts like Western Michigan in conference play… only games against Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, and the mighty Northwestern!

And, again, the SEC has played plenty of home-and-home series in the last five years. The SEC has proven they aren’t afraid to play anyone, anywhere.

Not just they, they have proven that far more often than not, they’ll win.